Once
by Kasune
Summary: A former powerpuff remembers old crimes as she comes to kill her sister. Maybe complete.
1. Scourge

I do not own the Powerpuff girls. This idea isn't even original, but everyone else got their reform(deform?) fic, so I thought it was time she got a chance of her own

* * *

I was a hero once. People adored me, looked up to me. I saved people, above all else. But that was before everything started to fall apart.

Back when we were five, we decided to make a sister...no, that's not right. A servant. That's why we originally made her. So that we could have some free time to ourselves. We ended up seeing her as a sister though. She just wanted to be our friend, our family, and we mistreated her until she pushed to hard and...destabilized. We killed her. That's when everything started falling apart.

I smiled as I saw the newspaper clipping. _I didn't know she cared. _I thought as I walked through the house I had left many years ago. There were many newspaper clippings lining the walls, but the one that caught my eye was of one of the few times where I had had to save my sisters. That had happened so long ago.

I knew it had happened too long ago. I no longer had any desire to save my remaining sister. I had actually come here to kill her.

* * *

"I didn't mean to..." I had said, trying to shake the girl awake. She just couldn't be dead. I hadn't hit her that hard. The gold fabric was stained with blood, blood from the last breath she took as her lung ruptured. I learned later that she hadn't suffered more than a moment. I had damaged too much in that one punch, I had ripped her insides apart.

Why hadn't she been wearing her armor? She always wore it when she fought us. But, even worse, why couldn't I feel guilty at Princess's demise?

_Because it felt good to let loose, to take control of the situation._ I answered myself. I hated the answer so much. It almost made me cry. Because it was true. I never let loose and it did feel good.

* * *

I shook myself back to reality, scanning the first floor. I smiled as I realized my x-ray vision would not work. All the walls had been replaced with lead. It looked like I would be doing this the hard way. So I headed for the kitchen, where my sister loved to show off.

* * *

Blossom and I got into a fight that day. I had decided I couldn't be a hero anymore. Heroes didn't kill.

She said it was a mistake, that I was still a hero. I could still save lives.

"I don't want to save lives anymore."

"What are you saying?"

"They treat us like freaks. A few people like us, but most really hate us behind closed doors." I sighed. "Like you're boyfriend. He only goes out with you because you're a powerpuff girl."

Then she punched me. She just punched me. So I got mad. And I punched her back. I punched her again...and again...and again. Then I realized what I had done. My sister was laying on the ground at me feet. A thin line of blood trickled down her mouth, and she wasn't breathing. I don't know how long I had pummeled her, but it looked like her eyes had glazed over. I jetted away.

* * *

The kitchen was deserted, and had no food save for a few crumbs on the counter. For a moment, I thought the house had been deserted entirely. Maybe she wasn't here after all. But then I saw it. The fridge, the only appliance left in the kitchen, had something on it. A yellow, tattered piece of paper was taped to the door. I recognized it from when we were kids. A mediocre drawing, but the Professor had kept it all these years. No...my sister had kept it all these years. The Professor had died when we were eleven. Heart failure. Sad to say I had nothing to do with it.

* * *

The tears stream down my face as I find a place to hide in the alley. It washed off, but I could still see the blood on my hands. I had done it. But...I didn't feel guilty that I had done it. Princess had deserved to be put down. She was always threatening them to get her way. Blossom always acted so condescending. So superior. She had deserved to be taught a lesson.

I felt bad because I didn't feel bad. It had felt...so right. I wasn't one to be pushed around...now or ever again.

"What's a powerpuff doing out here, all alone." I looked up to see the Rowdyruff Boys towering over me, which wouldn't have been real hard even if I was standing up. They had grown up to be fairly tall, almost matching the Professor for height.

I really didn't want to deal with them right now. Especially since they had their own set of special powers as well. What I wanted to do was level some buildings. "Leave me alone." I muttered, wiping my eyes on the sleeve of my dress.

"I don't think so." The green one said, a blade of the same color materializing in his hands. "You're on our turf and we don't take too kindly to trespassers."

Before anything else could happen, I just let a laser shoot from my eyes. Once again, I found the hindsight of my actions being too strong, too murderous, as the beam passed through the center of Butch's forehead. I had just meant to blow him back, really. How could I have guessed that I had focused just a little too hard...that it would melt his brain.

As Butch fell to the ground, his blade gone forever, Brick gave into his anger. "You bitch!" He shouted, spitting a loogie-a flaming loogie, how juvenile-at me. I rolled over to the side, then stood up to face the two taller boys. Boomer was still trying to get a response from Butch, while Brick decided to face me head on. Then his jaw dropped.

There was death in my eyes now, I could tell by his response. And he realized it too late, as I rushed him, crushing his skull in. I knew what my life mission would be in that moment. Super powers had corrupted the world. Anyone with them would have to be eliminated.

All of a sudden, Boomer found himself alone, against me. He could see it as clearly as Brick had. He could see my murderous intent. "Sorry, Butch." He muttered just before the green clad body exploded.

I smiled after the debris had finished falling. He wasn't called Boomer for nothing, it would seem. And the chase was on.

* * *

There was something odd though. Why hadn't I noticed the paper below it? It was newer, another drawing. It was barely better than the original drawing, and had been done in black and white instead of the colors, with the exception of a red line on the tall figure's hand. And beside that was a note.

_In the lab...come down when you can._

She had expected her to come. Inviting her to come. Was it a trap?

* * *

I had spent three years tracking down the final Rowdyruff Boy. Along the way, many people had fallen to my hands. Having super powers had become more of a hazard than selling real estate on Monster Island.

When I finally caught up to him, I suppose I should have been proud. My nephew had become a hero throughout a chain of tropic islands. With the Powerpuff Girl**s** technically no more, his life's goal had been completed. So he had turned to fighting and was recognized as a hero for taking out some dangerous people in the process. I watched him surf for a little while, sitting on the beach while I waited for him to come to shore.

"How'd you find me?" He asked, recognizing me immediately despite my new appearance. I may have gained a few scars, but it was a small price to pay to make the world a better place.

I smirked at the comment, grabbing a hold of his shoulder as I answered. "It's not like you kept a low profile."

He didn't beg for mercy, or cry, as I had heard many times before. He didn't struggle, just stood there. And smiled. He wasn't afraid to die. And he wasn't alone.

* * *

The lab looked almost exactly as I remembered it. Which meant it was a mess. But my sister was not in this room. _Maybe the note's old. _I thought, giving the room an x-ray scan anyways. Once again, I found my efforts blocked by more lead walls. As if the place had been entirely rebuilt. Except for one section of wall that seemed to lead further down by way of a staircase.

"But we dismantled DyNaMo." I muttered, ripping the plaster out of the wall. I headed down anyway. She might be down there.

* * *

It was a trap. I knew it the moment he started smiling. He had been the bait because he wasn't afraid to die. His life's purpose had ironically been accomplished when I killed his brothers. It would have been a torturous experience for him had I left him alive. So I ripped his throat out.

Now I was surrounded by some of the greatest heroes in the world. At least, the ones who hadn't already lost their lives to me. Including my sister.

I never understood why she exchanged her uniform for military garb. The flak jacket was useless to someone who could take rounds in a dress and military lifestyle didn't fit her.

I acted with precision, burning a hole through Major Glory's chest. With the last of the Justice Friends falling to the ground, I turned and took out the coward, Major Man. I'm pretty sure they didn't find his heart after I was through.

Monkey tried jumping on my back, but I grabbed his neck before he could get a hold of me.

"Why are you doing this?" My sister asked, buying enough time for the rest of the heroes to escape for a moment.

"To make the world a better place." I replied, crushing the simians neck with one hand. I could have taken her right there. But the time wasn't right. She would be my last target. So I dashed off in pursuit of the other super powers.

_

* * *

_

It took nine years, but it's about to end now.

I thought to myself as I reached the bottom of the staircase. There will be no more super powers in this world.

"About time you made it." She said, not turning around in her chair. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming home."

"I have no home." I replied.

"Bubbles?" She spun around quickly, grabbing a familiar looking device as she did.

I hadn't seen that gun in almost seventeen years. "I thought we always dismantled Mojo's weapons."

She leveled the gun at me. "I confiscated it in case you or Blossom ever went rogue." The moment she fired, I would be doused in Antidote X.

Why did I hesitate? "It won't work for long." Why couldn't I just shoot her? "It didn't work last time. And I'm stronger now." Why couldn't I end her life? She had always been mean to me, yet I could not bring myself to actually hurt her.

"It's not better." She said, before shooting me. It wasn't the spray or the beam I had been expecting. It wasn't a dart, either. It was a bullet.

And it struck me dead center in the chest. I fell to my knees, unable to breathe as it ripped my insides apart. But even a shrapnel bullet shouldn't have been able to penetrate my skin. "How?" I coughed out, already feeling the bullet shards spreading through my chest.

She ignored my question. "I'm sorry, Bubbles. You became the bad guy."

I got in one last shot, through her heart, before I passed out. She still fell. I could die peacefully.

I was a hero once, but I lived long enough to become the villain.

That evening, three girls of eight came home much later than they should have. "I knew we shouldn't have taken that race around the moon." The girl in white commented, throwing a dirty glance at each of her sisters.

"Yeah, yeah, miss goody two shoes." The girl in black said with a laugh. "You're just mad I won."

"Am not!" She punched her sister's arm.

While the two girls argued, the girl in grey had floated into the kitchen. She admired her handiwork posted on the fridge, which the former hero had earlier mistaken for a black and white recreation, then noticed the note taped next to it. "Sarah, Cassidy, I think mom wants us to do another drill."

"Again? That's the third time this week." The girl in black moaned. "Like Scourge would ever come here anyways. We don't really go out that often."

"Best be prepared, I guess. Let's go down and see what she wants." The three girls zoom down the stairs, flying through the replica of their grandfather's lab. They barely notice the broken entrance to the real lab. It had been broken thousands of times before.

But the sight of the lab itself cannot be rationalized. Two figures lay crumpled on the floor. Sarah and Cassidy rush to the black haired figures side, trying to do anything to save her, but the gray girl just floats in the air, looking at the figure in blue and stained with red. She didn't look like the evil person who had killed so many people without a reason. She looked at peace, a kind and soft person.

"Zoe!"

Why would she hurt anyone?

"Zoe!"

The answer hit her the moment she flew over to her mom. That's all she had ever known. How to hurt people. That's why their mom developed weapons. It's why her sisters had died so long ago. The world was a better place than it was then, even if by accident.

She was thankful for that as they flew their mother to the hospital.


	2. Holiday

I was once a villain. But now I'm a hero. So why do I feel so guilty?

_Because you let some surfer kid die in your place._ The answer came almost as quickly as the question. _Because you didn't argue the order to run away. To hide while your team mates fought your aunt._

That's not it. I beat upon the criminal standing before me. At least, not all of it. Besides, I had been acting as a hero for years by then. I didn't have much else to do after my family died. Except Buttercup, who was my only family after that.

She should have hated me. I guess I feel guilty about that too. Because not only did she accept me, she loved me like we had always been family.

"Holiday! Pay attention!" The man standing behind me shouted as several of the robots started shooting at me. Not that it mattered. They didn't have the fire power to really hurt me and I just zapped them so that we could continue down the corridor.

I know what you're thinking. Whatever happened to Boomer Jojo? Couldn't exactly use it after I was "killed." Even if the surfer was suicidal, even if he had to agreed to die for justice, no one deserved to get their neck ripped out.

Mitch followed closely behind me, ignoring the commander's orders to stay put on the shuttle till I could get a good search on the place. I didn't have to wear the space suit and I could take most of the damage, so I was perfect for that sort of thing.

Mitch was a great guy, and probably the only one who recognized me for who I really was. "Hey, Holiday. Something on your mind?"

"I'm crazy man." I joked, as I rounded another corridor. I was almost sure this was the place we were looking for. Maybe that's why I felt guilty. "There's always something on my mind."

"Whatever." He took a shot at a robot that had appeared around the corner before I could get it myself. "You really think this might be the place?"

"How many people do you think can build robots that sophisticated?" I asked in response.

Before he could reply, a hologram appeared on the command deck was we stepped over the threshold, better answering his question. "Welcome to Station One. It is my misfortune to inform you that you have probably missed my stay here before I leave to Omega 3. If you have any requests, please ask me and I will provide the best support that I can."

"Um...turn atmosphere on?" I asked, looking around the deck.

"Oxygen processors on. How else may I help you today?"

"Hold that thought." I turned to Mitch and pushed him back out to the hall, causing the hologram to disappear. "Definitely Blossom's station."

"Could she still be alive out there?" He asked me, a hint of hope in his voice.

"Maybe, but-"

"Mitch, Holiday!" Our communicator's sung out together, interrupting me. "Do either of you know a Boomer? Someone's trying to contact him, insisting this is the shuttle he was put on."

Boomer...they would only jeopardize my identity for two reasons, and neither could be good. "I gotta get to turf, commander." I said simply before turning off my communicator. Mitch just frowned. He knew more about my family than anyone else.

"Just go." He said, pushing my arm towards where the air locks should be. "And make sure she's alright."

As I flew through empty space, I dreaded getting home. Not because of Scourge, really. If I had to, I could fight her to a standstill. Never knew quite why, but the shades of blue on either side had always been the strongest.

No, Scourge didn't scare me. I was ready to die if I had to, even if at the hands of my aunt. What I really dreaded was Him. He never liked playing fair, and He would do anything to pull back on the deal we had made.

* * *

"Okay. Today we will be deciding on if Boomer Jojo should be allowed to join our ranks." Major Glory beamed at the group surrounding the table. I had been a hero for a year now and I could barely keep myself from smiling. Then my smile vanished. "We will put it up to a vote. I say aye."

"Nay." The purple hulk of a man said, scowling at me. I had confused him once, apparently, and he held a grudge against me for it.

"Nay." The blond next to him called out. "Nobody who could just make stuff blow up has ever been good."

"Nay." The black man next in line said. I only recognized him as Capital G, and couldn't recall meeting him before.

The monkey in a black jumpsuit gave a thumbs up.

"Aye." Major Man smiled. It was hard getting started as a hero, and he knew any bit of help could go a long way.

Finally, it was Buttercup's turn. She was going to say no. And I probably deserved it. I had spent the first six years of my life trying to kill her, after all. I turned around and started to walk away. "Aye...on a trial." She stared at me till I turned around to face her. That glare scared me more than any dirty look I had received from either of my brother's, before their demise. "I want to keep an eye on him."

* * *

"I'm here to see Buttercup Utonium." I said to the receptionist at the hospital.

"I'm sorry, but visiting is restricted. May I ask who you are?"

"Holiday." I respond sharply.

"I'm sorry? You're not on the list of approved visitors.

"Boomer Jojo, then."

She closed the book as I said the name. Seems she had lived in Townsville for a while then. "I am less inclined to let you visit her now than a minute ago."

Rolling my eyes didn't seem the best thing to do, but I did it anyways. "I'm going back there anyways. Either you can tell me the room number, or I can storm through the entire hospital till I find her."

"You are a liar and are probably here to assassinate our town hero."

"I am no liar."

"Boomer has been dead for six years. Killed by Scourge."

"Apparently, that isn't true. Can you give me that room number, or will I have to disturb the entire hospital?"

* * *

I had been accepted as a full member of the Justice Friends after a year. Technically. Buttercup and I were never shown to be true members, so that we could work in the dark when we needed to. Since we were the only two who could work in such a fashion, we became partners. She trusted me as much as I trusted her. We could have turned on each other at a moments notice.

Plus, with us being dark agents, we never drew undue attention from Scourge or any other source.

"What's the plan, blue boy?"

We had been stalking this man for days now. Trickster, I believe. Real piece of work, this guy was. Totally insane. "Melt his brain?"

"That's sick."

"Worked on Butch."

"Didn't say I didn't like it. Just said it's sick."

"Still works on psychos."

"He seemed too quite to be a psycho."

"Should've seen his notebook. Knew every point where we would theoretically be vulnerable."

"Theoretically?"

"Would you ever test something that might just kill you?"

"Good point."

We were pretty morbid, sure. Most of our missions were to assassinate dangerous criminals. But it was more than that. We had been born to fight, raised to fight. We didn't know anything else. So you try to not have morbid thoughts when all you can think of is when you get to punch the next guy.

We sneaked in and took care of Trickster.

* * *

Time changed as I walked through the halls. It got slower, yet faster. Everything became red. "Hello, son." The feminine voice echoed around me. "You've been...busy."

"I'm not your son. You promised to leave us alone when the Powerpuff Girls were gone."

"You never kept your end."

"Sure I did. Crushed the spirit of Bubbles, made it to where there were no more Powerpuff Girls."

"You didn't kill them!" His voice took on it's more demonic form.

"Wasn't the deal. After Blossom's death, no one has used the title Powerpuff, much less formed another team called the Powerpuff Girls. In short, I don't work for you anymore."

"You will regret those words." With that, he had disappeared again, and everything resumed as normal.

"Lucky me." I thought aloud as I found the door to her room.

* * *

"We're going to spring a trap on her." Major Glory announced to me, sitting on my bunk.

It had been almost a year and a half since I joined the Justice Friends. Needless to say, I was a little surprised at the statement. "On who?"

"Bu-Scourge." He corrected himself quickly. Bubbles had died many years ago, and been replaced by Scourge. She wasn't really my aunt, Buttercup's sister, but a child possessed. Only her family, us, were allowed to call her Bubbles anymore. "And you're going to be the bait. Technically."

"Technically? What do you mean by that?"

"Sup, dude." A man walked into the doorway. He looked remarkably like me, sounded remarkably like me. So I said the natural thing.

"Woah...I'm looking at me."

"Not really. Jonathan is a shapeshifter."

"I don't see where you're going with this."

"Jonathan is going to become a public superhero...disguised as you."

"That's suicidal! I'm Scourge's number one target."

"Let's hope you are, dude." He smiled, which seemed eerie since he still looked like me. "I've been looking for a way out."

* * *

I push open the door at the memory.

I was once a villain. In a way, I still am.

* * *

A/N: Okay...not Mario. I'm trying very hard to etch the next chapter out, but it's proving difficult. But I haven't worked on anything else, as this was already typed up a week ago. So, semi-lie this time. Still trying to work on DoaH, may post the next chapter of this or a Samurai Jack thing that has been sitting on my computer for the better part of the month. Hopefully not, but only time will tell.


End file.
